Process of manufacturing ice cream or the like



m 31, 1929. c. w. VOGT 1,742,171

PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING ICE CREAM OR THE LIKE Original Filed Jan. 18. 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 BY v - ATTORNEYS Dec. 31, 1929. c. w. vocs'r PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING ICE CREAM OR THE LIKE 4 sheets-sheet 2 Original Filed Jan. 18, 1927 r M m TW N m F m VW W T N T A M m m C m Al 3 (a R /W/ Y p \MUIM N MIJ fi IIHHHIHIHIIP 4m .3 S c ww M S u m f ll Nm Dec. 31, 1929. c, w, yo T 1,742,171

PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING ICE CREAM OR THE LIKE Original Filed Jan. 18, 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 III. 3 57 )6 INVENTOR. (mm-Ime- 14 Vow:

fZ w 1- ATT RNEY5.

C. W. VOGT Dec. 31, I929.

PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING ICE CREAM OR THE LIKE Original Filed Jan. 18. 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS.

Patented Dec. 31, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CLARENCE W. VOG'I, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOB TO VOGT INSTANT FREEZERS, INC., 015 LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, A CORPORATION PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING ICE CREAM OR THE LIKE Original application ma January 18, 1927, Serial No. 161,844. Divided and this application filed January 27, 1928. Serial No. 249,907.

This invention pertains to a process for manufacturing ice cream, ices or similar frozen liquids and confections and includes the steps of aerating'a material while freezing it to a semi-plastic state and then continuously passing the semi-frozen and aerated material into and through a chamber in which the same is hardened during its passage therethrough. V

Certain features of the process are also applicable Without the feature of aeration. In such processes the material may be-first froozen to a semi-plastic state under agitation without the aeration and thereafter continually hardened as hereinafter described.

Apparatus for arrying out. the said process is described and claimed in Patent 1,733,740, issued Oct. 29, 1929, on copending application Serial No. 161,844, filed January 18, 1927, of which this is a division.

Heret'ofore it has been customary in the manufacture of ice cream-and the like to mix :for instance in cans or cartons, is of such thickness that during its tlme of travel under the influence of an intense refrigerating ac tion it is hardened by the time it reaches the point of delivery.-

One of the principal objects of this invention is to freeze the semi-frozen and plastic mixture to a substantially solid state as a continuous and rapid operation, thuseliminating the necessity for letting a semi-frozen material stand for a number of hours in a hardening room. A

By this process there is considerable saving of time and handling by this more rapid means of freezing, as well as enabling the manufacture of ice cream and the like to be conducted in a continuous process and thus facilitating production.

A further important feature of. the invention resides in the freezing of the mixture under a partial vacuum or in a chamber in which a partial vacuum is maintained, as-Will be hereinafter more fully set forth and described.

More particularly the invention pertains to a process for freezing ice cream or the like wherein the freezer for Whipping air into the mix and freezing it to a semi-plastic state is so arranged or constructed as to be capable of continuously delivering such semi-plastic mix with the proper overrun into a hardening room or chamber upon a conveyor or freezing surface or the like such as will continuously convey or advance the mix within or through the chamber while it gradually becomes hardened through the medium of the low degree of temperature, whereby it may be continuously delivered from said hardening room for use, thus greatly facilitating the rapidity with which ice cream or the like may be manufactured.

Thus the mix may be delivered onto a continuously moving conveyor within the hardening chamber from either one or more batteries of freezers, the conveyor being of such character that the semi-frozen mix is hardened through contact with the cold surface thereof or the low temperature of the air through which it passes, in some instances the refrigerant being on one side of the conveyor surface while the semi-frozen aerated mix on the other side thereof Other features and advantages of this machine and the process employed thereby will be more specifically pointed out and become apparent from the accompanying drawings and the following description and claims:

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side 'elevation showing the refrigerating room in sec-. tion. Fig. 2 1s an enlarged View showing a side elevation of the refrigerating rolls with the central portion thereof broken away. Fig. 3 is the same as Fig. 2, showing a plan View thereof with parts illustrated 1n cross section. Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the rolls. Fig. 5 is a section taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2 M

In the drawings, there is shown an ice cream freezer of the heavy duty commercial type, comprising a driving motor 10, gear housing 11, base 12, freezing chamber 13 and batch weigher reservoir 14. On the end of the chamber 13 there is a handle 15 for con trolling the discharge valve 16. The abovedescribed freezer is of a common type in commercial use'and well known to the trade as being adapted to partially freeze the mix to a semi-plastic state incorporating therein the desired percentage of air by whipping or aerating the same. I

Immediately below the freezer there is provided a receptacle 17 which is supported on a scale platform 18, said receptacle being adapted to receive a batch of semi-frozen mixture as it is discharged from the freezer. The scale platform* 18 is connected in the usual manner with the scale beam' 20 provided with an adjusting weight 21 and the removable weights 22. The lower end of the receptacle 17 is in open communication with a vacuum delivery pipe 23, the same being controlled by a valve 24. Said valve is connected with a double solenoid 25, which, in turn, has its opposed coils connected in the usual manner with a source of current, while the other terminals of the respective coils are connected through the wires 26 with a contact on top. of-the beam 20 and one on the lower side thereof respectively. The source of current is connected with the scale, whereby a current is directed through the upper solenoid for lifting and openin the valve when a batch of mixture is droppe into the receptacle 17 sufiicient to cause the end of the beam to be raised so that contact will be made by the top thereof, and a reverse action for closing the valve will be caused by the energizing of the lower reverse solenoid upon the mixture being withdrawn from ever, various other' means for controlling a p valvemay be employed, such as to cause the valve to close when there is no pressure to be drawn therethrough, and opened when the mixture is received by the receptacle. The purpose of this arrangement is to provide a continuous source of supply to the hardening chamber to permit of continuous hardening of the semi-plastic mix.

Adjacent the freezer there is a refrigerating room or chamber formed by the walls 30 and properl insulated in the usual manner to retain t e cold air, said chamber being maintained at a low temperature through the medium of the usual refrigerating system of brine pipes 30. Positioned near the top of the chamber there is a platform 31 upon which the refrigerating rolls are mounted. As shownin Fig. 3, there are provided two rolls 32 and 33, rotatably supported by the bearings 34 in the standards 35.

The rolls comprise an outer drum and inner drum 36 spaced therefrom so as to provide an annular refrigerant chamber 37 as shown in Figs. 3 and 5, the drums 36 being entirel closed to prevent any entrance therein of t e refrigerating brine, and being rigidly secured to the ends of the rolls by the bolts 38. Surrounding the drums 36 there are spiral vanes 39 which extend from the. drums 36 to the inner surface of the outer peripheries of the rolls. The chamber 37 is in communication with the brine pipe 40, leading from any suitable source of supply of the usual character. Brine is permitted to pass from the pipe through a header 41 which is in communication with both rolls 32 and 33 and through the pipes 42 which extend into the hollow spindles 43 mounted in the bearings 34, the connection therebetween having a suitable packing box 44 so as to permit relative rotation therebetween. The brine is forced in under sufficient "pressure to cause it to be guided about the pefrozen mixture which may come in contact with the surface thereof to be almost instantly frozen to solidity.

Each roll is provided on its end with suitable gears 46 and 47, shown in Fig. 4, one of said gears having associated therewith, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, a belt-driven pulley 48 which may be driven by a belt 49 through the reduction gears 50 by a motor 51, as shown in Fig. 1. By means of suitable reduction gearing 51, the speed of rotation of the rolls may be controlled for the purose which will be hereinafter described. It will further be noted that the rolls will rotate in opposite directions as will be indicated by the arrows in Fig. 5.

-Mounted directly over the'rolls there is a discharge header or manifold 55 which is connected with the delivery pipe 23 through a central T-connection 56. The manifold is thereof. Upon the mixture being distributed over the top surface of the rolls and coming in contact therewith in a comparatively thin film, the extremely low temperature of the surface causes the same to be frozen and solidified thereon. This action causes the mixture to adhere to the surface in its frozen state and be carried thereby past the point of earest approach of the two cylinders. In this connection, it will be noted that the cylinders are spaced apart a given distance equal to double the desired thickness ofthe coating so that any excess, mixture will be spread over the surface of the rolls, whereby the thickness of the coating will not be such as to prevent complete solidification.

In order to, prevent untimely freezing of the mixture about the ends of the nozzles 59, where they approach the cold surface of the rolls 32 and 33, there are inserted adjac ent thereto electrically-heated resistance wires 57 within the insulating material and directly adjacent the metal nozzle.

As the frozen mixture is carried about the rolls, it is removed therefrom by the knives 60, which arepositioned as shown in Figs. 3 and 5, on opposite sides of the rolls and supported on the side brackets 61. The knives are so supported as to permit them to be reciprocated longitudinally of the support, and are provided with a scalloped knife edge, shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3, so as to rather cut the frozen'mixture from the rolls than scrape it therefrom. A reciprocatory action is imparted to the knives by reason of the asconveyors to carry the material from the delivery nozzles to the knives or scrapers,

that is, they continuously advance it while it is being hardened from the semi-frozen condition in which it existed at the nozzles, to a more nearly solid condition. As the material is of no great thickness the hardening action is quickly effected. With the conveying surface also acting as a freezing surface, there is a rapid heat transfer from the material on one side of the conveyor to the brine on the other side.

As shown in Fig. 5, the frozen and solidified layer or coating of the mixture will thus be cut from the surface of the rolls and caused to drop upon a conveying belt 65, the sides of the belt being covered by the "deflecting plates 66. The belt is mounted upon the rollers 67-which are rotatablysupported in the brackets 68, and rotated through the medium of agear 69 meshing with the gear 46 and the bevel gears 7 0. As the material is causedto drop from the surface of' the hardening rolls onto the conveyor belt 65 it is advanced by said belt through the chamber while the hard-,

e'ning process continues due to the action of is hardened by the low temperature of the air contained therein. The belt travels in the direction of the arrow, as shown in Fig. 2; and dumps the material through an opening 71 in the supporting platform 31, said opening being in direct communication with,

a discharge spout 72 which carries it into the feeding and compression chamber 73. The chamber 73 is provided with a screw feed 74 driven through the medium of suitable gears 7 5 and a belt 76 driven from the adjacent roller 67. f

The feeding and compression chamber 7 3 is so arranged as to permit the attachment therewith of a mold or container 77 for receiving the mixture in its final frozen and solid state. form of a commercial ice cream can into which the frozen ice cream is forced and packed by the feed screw, or it may be in the form of a mold for forming it to the desired shape, after which it may be discharged onto 12; conveyor belt 78 to carr it from the chamer. be such that the discharge of the batch from the freezer will cause a steady flow of the proper amount of mixture to the freezing rolls, so that the container ormold 7 7 will be packed under compression at given intervals of time, after which it will be replaced by an empty container, this feature of packing not forming a part of this invention.

In operation, a vacuum is maintained in the upper compartment of the chamber 30. As shown. herein the vacuum pump 80 is mounted in the lower compartment, which is in communication with the upper compartment through the vacuum line 79. A discharge outlet 81 is provided in the lower compart-ment, whereby partial vacuum will be maintainedin the upper compartment, but the discharge of the cold air drawn therefrom in producing a vacuum will be discharged in thelower compartment so that there willbe no material loss in refrigeration. A suitablesemi-frozen and plastic mixture discharged into' the receptacle 17 will be drawn by suction through the delivery pipe 23 and out of the nozzles 59 of the manifold. While it would be feasible to deliver the semi-frozen The timing of the w ole apparatus may Such container may be inthe and plastic mixture to the freezing rolls under pressure rather than by suction, or in other ways, wherebyit will be discharged thereover, the delivery thereof by vacuum has certain advantages in that the mixture instead of being unduly compressed before freezing, is expanded so as to maintain the mixture in more uniform condition. This is of importance, since the compression of the mixture in flake-like formation, the belt carries them to the discharge opening-where they pass into ghe conveying and compressingchamber; As

1e frozen or solidified mixture in its flakelike form is fed into its final container'or form, it may be compressed and forced into a compact solid mass. It will be noted that the compression that takes place at the end of the operation, occurs after the mixture reaches its final frozen state, rather than while in the semi-frozen and plastic form, which is the proper time for compressing and packing the same.

The mixture is then ready for commercial use, exceptingfor'such mechanical operations as ma be desired for the particular packing an treatment of the same, and the necessity of permitting it to become frozen in the usual manner as heretofore described, is thus eliminated. I

This makes possible a continuous process in the manufacture of ice cream, ices or other frozen liquids or confections without the delay heretofore necessary, and further has certain advantages in the packing and han dling thereof as heretofore described."

With respect to the container 77, into which the mixture, in its flake-like frozen form, is

I finally packed, such container may be in the form of a mold or the like for use in the manufacture of small ice cream bricks, cakes or fancy designs. Furthermore, such deposit into a suitable container need not necessarily be done in the cold room, but may be done in a warmer room, with more comfort, by cjausin the mixture to pass through the wall oft e cold room, as will beobvious. Furthermore, with respect to the freezing of ices and the like, the mixture may be directly spread or sprayed upon the freezing rolls in its liquid form without previously having been mixed and partially frozen into a semifrozen plastic form.

The invention claimed is: Y 1. The process of freezing a substance of the character described, consisting in first mixing a batch, conducting said mixture by vacuum and spreading the same over a freezing surface maintained at a low degree of temperature, whereby said mixture will be .frozen'into a substantially solid state, and

thereafter removing said solidified mixture from said surface and delivering the same to a suitable container.

2. The process of freezin a substance of the character described, inc uding partially freezing the same into a semi-plastic state, and conveying such substance to a freezing and hardening-chamber maintained under a partial vacuum.

3. The process of freezing and hardening a substance of the character described, consisting in first incorporating in the substance a quantity of air to obtain the desired overrun and thereafter hardening the same while maintained under a partial vacuum.

4. The process of freezing and hardening a substance of the character described, consisting in first incorporating in the substance sisting in providing a freezing surface maini tained at a low degree of temperature, and conducting to and discharging onto said surface the substance to be hardened after it has been partially frozen in a semi-plastic state with a quantity of air incorporated therewith for obtaining the desired over-run whereby such aerated substance will become frozen to a. hardened state with the air incorporated therein.

6. The process of freezing and hardening a substance of the character described, consisting in first partially freezing the substance to a semi-plastic condition while whipping air therein to obtain the desired over-run and thereafter conducting said substance to a freezing surface and discharging it thereon in a thin layer while retaining said surface at a low degree of temperature whereby it Willbe- :come frozen to a hardened state with the air incorporated therein.

7 The process of freezing and hardening a substance of the character described, consisting in first partially freezing the substance to a semi-plastic condition while whipping .air therein to obtainthe desired over-run, conducting said substance to a freezing sur-' sisting in first partially freezing the substance to a semi-plastic condition while whipping air therein to obtain the desired over-run and thereafter conducting said substance to a hardening chamber maintained at'a low degree of temperature, and discharging the substance upon a freezing surface within said chamber in a thin layer, whereby the layer of substance will become hardened thereon.

9. The process of freezing and hardening a substance of the character described, con sisting in maintaining a freezing conveyor at a low degree of temperature, and conducting to and discharging thereon the substance to be hardened after it has been partially frozen in a semi-plastic state with a quantity of air incorporated therewith for obtaining the desired overrun whereby such aerated substance will become frozen to a substantially hardened state. 10. The process of freezing a substance of the character described, consisting in whipping air into a mix while partially freezing it to a semi-plastic state, delivering said mix in its semi plastic state to a hardening chamber, and continuously advancing it therethrough while maintaining said chamber at a low degree of temperature whereby said mix will become frozen to a substantially harde'ned state while advancing therethrough.

11. The process of freezing a substance of the character described, consisting in whipplng air into a mix while partially freezing it to a semi-plastic state, continuously delivermg said mix in its semi-plastic state to a hardening chamber, and advancing said mix within said chamber while subjecting the same to the action of a low temperature whereby it will be substantially hardened therein.

12. The process of free zing a substance of I the character described, consisting in whipping air into a mix while partially freezing it to a semi-plastic state, delivering said mixin its semi; lastic state to a hardening cham ber maintained at a low degree of temperature, and advancing said mix within said chamber while subjecting it to the low temperature thereof for causing the same to be further frozen to a substantially hardened condition. y 13. A process of freezing a substance of the character described consisting in .partially freezing the same under agitation to a semi-plastic condition and thereafter transporting the semi-plastic substance upon a reezing surface for causing the same tribe frozen into a. solid state. .14. The process of freezing a substance of the character described consisting in partially freezing it to a semi-plastic state, deliv ring the same in its semi-plastic state within said chamber while subjecting it to a further frozen to a substantially hardened condition.

15. A process of freezing and hardening a material of the character described, including simultaneously agitating the substance and freezing a portion of the Water content thereof and thereafter advancing the partially frozen substance in a quiescent state while subjecting it to a low temperature to freeze a further portion of the water content and deliver a hardened product.

16. The prpcess of freezing and hardening a substance of the character described, whichv includes delivering to a hardening chamber said substance in a partially frozen, semiplastic state, with air incorporated therein, maintaining a partial vacuum in said chamberwhereby the air in said substance is caused to expand to increase the bulk of the substance, and maintaining said chamber at a low temperature, whereby said partially frozen substance is hardened in its expanded condition. a

. 17 The process of freezing and hardening a substance of the character described, including forming a partially frozen mix with airwhipped therein to give an overrun, delivering said partially frozen mix to a hardening chamber by means of a partial vacuum, whereby the incorporated air is caused to ex- 9 pand and increase the bulk of said partially 5 frozen mix, and maintaining-said chamber at a low temperature to harden the semi-frozen mix in its expanded condition.

18. The process of freezing andhardening a substance of the character described, ineluding forming a partially frozen mix with air incorporated therein, reducing the pres sure on the mix, and refrigerating the par tiall frozen mix-under reduced pressure to bar en it. i

- In witness whereof, I have hereunto aflixed my signature. I v

CLARENCE W. VOGT.

rdening chamber maintained at a 16w 65 low temperature for causing the same to he'-- 

